Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a metropolis and city-state on the Sword Coast on the north bank of the river Chionthar about twenty miles east from its mouth on the Sea of Swords. It is to the south of the great city-state of Waterdeep and to the north of the country of Amn, and is located along the well-travelled Coast Way road. A person from Baldur’s Gate is known as a Baldurian. This wealthy port metropolis, and according to many's accounts it's population has supersceded that of Waterdeeps, is an important merchant city on the Sword Coast. Its strong Watch and the presence of the powerful Flaming Fist mercenary company keep the city generally peaceful and safe. Geography Baldur’s Gate has grown enormously over the past century and as a result is almost two cities in one. The old core of the city, now known as Bloomridge, lies within the old city walls. This portion is, however, surrounded by a much larger portion taken up by suburbs and shantytowns established over the Hundred Years of Chaos by refugees. It is the population located here that makes up the majority of the city’s impressive population and unlike the core of the city, which has a distinctive architectural style, these outskirts are often a meshing of styles from all across Faerûn, a hint at the cosmopolitan nature of the city. Taverns and inns ;The Blade and Stars :A quiet inn known for its high qualities foodstuffs. ;The Blushing Mermaid :Located in the northeastern section of Baldur's Gate, the Blushing Mermaid is an establishment known for its status as a hub of illicit business. ;Elfsong Tavern :A tavern in the southeast known best for its strange haunting, a ghostly elven voice of unidentified origin that can be heard singing quietly at night. ;The Helm and Cloak :An expensive but well-rated feasting hall popular with both locals and travelers alike. Its upper floor is also rented out to the vast majority of the Knights of the Unicorn. ;Purple Wyrm Inn ;The Splurging Sturgeon :Located a bit south from the Blushing Mermaid, the Splurging Sturgeon is a small but well-known establishment ;Three Old Kegs :Highly comfortable but only slightly expensive, the Three Old Kegs is perhaps the most highly rated establishment in Baldur's Gate. The Volo's map shows a shop, Felogyr's Fireworks, marked "15." That shop fronts on, and stands on the south side of, a long curving street that runs across the city, with a curious 'prow' or deviance at about its midpoint (west of Felogyr's), where it meets a short street that runs almost due south to the docks. The longer road is Stormcanter Street, and the shorter one is The Windgallop,' and the old wall ran along the north side of Stormcanter and the west side of 'the Gallop,' so many buildings along those two 'fronts' are stout, thick-walled fortress-like boxes of large old close-fitted stones (many of them at the western end of Stormcanter are the houses of well-to-do Baldurians, whilst all of those along the Gallop, and most of those on the easterly stretches of Stormcanter, are shops at ground level, with apartments above (Gallop end: a few warehouses with business offices sprinkled amongst; Stormcanter end: the occasional tavern or festhall). Steven's comments on the sort of city buildings the Flaming Fist own are (of course) spot-on. Back to the Volo's Guide map. North of the Seatower of Balduran (feature 6) are two parallel wharves. The longer and more northerly of the two is known as Hethkantle's Jetty, and the street that runs roughly northwest from its 'dry' (land) end, right out to the city wall, is Caundorl Street. Follow Caundorl, yes, right out to the city wall, and you'll find a miniature keep: four towers linked by stone walls. That's the headquarters of the Flaming Fist: an impressive-looking little castle known as The Keep of the Flame. Please bear in mind that the Fist is too large to muster inside ANY city. The Keep of the Flame consists of offices, weapons-practise chambers and an archery 'gallery' (with cable-drawn targets) rather than the usual open-air 'butts,' uniform and equipment storage, armories, and yes, dungeon cells below for the holding of prisoners for ransom (and, som Baldurians mutter, guardian monsters and darker things). The Keep also features a glorious upper-floor map room (in its largest tower), and several one-way-outbound gates (ahem: portals) that lead to several hilltops well east of the city, where Fist members can assemble in the event of a mustering, or when they want to depart the city unnoticed (for example, with captives). The Fist also owns several other permanently-guarded armory buildings around the city, including two of the massive 'former bits of the city wall' structures on northfront Stormcanter. Manors ;Bloodmire Manor :A spacious, gothic mansion that was overrun by monstrous experiments in the 1370s. ;Firewind Manor (formerly House Felldane) ;Mandorcai’s Mansion :A beautiful manor located in Bloomridge and owned by the tiefling Mandorcai. ;Omduil’s Manor :A stately manor owned by the aged sage Omduil. Temples and shrines History The city takes its name from the great seafaring hero Balduran. Long ago, Balduran sailed to the fabled Anchorome and returned with great wealth which was used to build the wall around what became Baldur’s Gate. He left the city again, presumably to return to Anchorome, but never returned. It is now (as of about 1368 DR) an insult to misuse Balduran’s name. This can be done easily when attempting to describe a person who inhabits Baldur’s Gate (the correct term is "Baldurian"). At the time, the growing town was controlled by local farmers who mercilessly taxed incoming shipments. This infuriated ship captains, who believed that since the harbor wasn't walled in, its traffic should not be taxed, and they eventually overthrew the farmers. The four eldest captains ruled the city together, and jokingly called themselves "dukes," which stuck. Due to an Iron Crisis caused by a Bhaalspawn named Sarevok, Baldur's Gate was almost sent to war with it's long time rival, Amn. However, this was later stopped by another Bhaalspawn. Eldrith the Betrayer later tried to usurp the Grand Dukes although a coup never actually happened, Eldrith was still put to death. Her plan was still put into effect by the Zhentarim VIA a tower made from Onyx, but put to an abrupt end by three Adventurers Economy In 1368 DR stone is usually imported from Mirabar via Luskan for use in construction, having been magically transported. This is an expensive process. By 1479 DR, with Luskan in disarray and with no functional port, along with the destruction caused by the Spellplague across the lands, it is unclear if this trade still occurs. Baldur’s Gate has, however, become the greatest center of trade along the entire Sword Coast, outcompeting both Waterdeep and Amn. Baldur’s Gate contains a very effective thieves' guild, as well as a powerful and honest mercantile guild, the Merchant’s League. Additionally, the Knights of the Shield and the Knights of the Unicorn are both active in the city. Various thieves guilds have risen and fallen in Baldur’s Gate including Xantam’s Guild and the Hands of Glory. Government Baldur’s Gate was once ruled by four grand dukes, the Council of Four. The rulers included Duke Eltan, the then leader of the Flaming Fists, Belt, a powerful warrior and divine spellcaster, Liia Jannath, a mage and Entar Silvershield, the richest man in Baldur’s Gate at the time, but also a strong warrior in his own right. The Council is also part of the Lords' Alliance, which includes Waterdeep and Silverymoon, among others. Lore First, the street that runs along the inside of the city walls from the Stormkeep (the fortress at the westernmost end of the walls) to Black Dragon Gate is known as ‘The Run.’ The street that runs along the edge of the docks from the Seatower of Balduran (feature 6 on the Volo’s map) to The Water-Queen’s House (8) is ‘the Western Wet,’ and the street that runs along the docks from the two ‘keel-slips’ (boatbuilding drydocks) east of The Counting House (29) around the ship-basin and along the wharves as far as Waendel’s Wharf (the centermost protruding dock protruding from the east side of the harbor, that has three only three ‘legs’) is ‘the Eastern Wet.’ The wharf to the south of Waendel’s (that has four ‘legs’) is Stormwynd Dock. The wide, legless wharf north of Waendel’s is Athcaulyr’s Stand. The small wharf between Hethkantle’s Jetty and the Seatower of Balduran is Glaezel’s Dock (it’s had several owners and different names in the past; Manthuran Glaezel is the very wealthy head of a prosperous, long-prominent Baldurian family that owns many city businesses and properties), and the street that runs roughly northwest from its ‘dry’ (land) end, right out to the city wall (parallel to, and immediately south of, Caundorl Street), is Black Eel Street. The street that begins at Black Eel Street one block in from the Western Wet, and curves northeast near Krammoch Arkhstaff’s house (21) to pass along the front of The Lady’s Hall (7) and then in front of Black Dragon Gate (10) right to the city wall, and thereafter curve south along the wall to The Rose Portal (27), is Wendserpent Street. Belltoll Street (9 on the Volo’s map) runs from The Wide (2) west to join another street just north of the home and office of the sage Ragefast (a fascinating fellow who tries to trace the whereabouts of magic items and dragon treasures, among other things; this building is map feature 22). The street that Belltoll joins, that curves east from that moot to end at its moot with Wendserpent, and west from that moot to the Stormkeep, is Sornbanner Street. Another street, Long Lane, can be found by tracing the way that passes the walls of the Blushing Mermaid (map feature 19) and Manycoins House (20) to curve to the eastern city gate. The northern end of Long Lane is a small triangular open plaza (often crowded with wagons loading and unloading crates, coffers, and barrels destined for, or fresh come from, city shops). This open space is called ‘the Thulgrave,’ because the tall, narrow fountain at its heart (a pillar of stone carved into the likeness of a waterspout, with the hands of Talos and of Umberlee rising out of fierce waves around its base to direct the waterspout higher; its water falls back down into the waves and drains away through holes bored at their lowest points) is Thulgrave’s Fountain. Ilgrar Thulgrave was a wealthy merchant fleet shipowner (and yes, he’s buried in the base of the fountain, so it’s literally ‘the Thulgrave’). It should be noted that “plaza” is a word unknown in the Realms. In Baldur’s Gate, such an open space is called a ‘strake.’ Immediately east of Long Lane, paralleling it on its path from the city gate to the Thulgrave (and running right past the doors of map feature 5, the Elfsong Tavern), is Lorammor Street. Many small shops line Lorammor (sometimes three establishments to a building, in cellar, on street level, and in the upper level). The street that passes Manycoins House (20) on its west side, and curves around to the southernmost city gate, is Nuthkhal’s Way. The street that encircles The Wide (2), running from The Counting House (29) north past the doors of Flamesinger House (23), and then south again to pass the doors of The Rose Portal (27), is Manyspears Lane. Its run is dominated by three- and four-story tallhouses that have been divided into many small apartments; many Baldurian shopkeepers, crafters, and shop assistants dwell along Manyspears. Lastly, three moots (street intersections) have names that visitors to Baldur’s Gate would do well to know, because locals use them as everyday landmarks (e.g. “He dwells seaward of Three Spires”). They are: Three Spires, Fox Bottom, and Lionsmoot. Three Spires, named for the spired towers of three ornate private mansions that tower above the moot, is the six-way intersection just west of map feature 21 (Krammoch Arkhstaff’s house). On the Volo’s map, it’s directly above the numeral “2” of the “21.” The north-south street that passes between the “2” and the “1” is Hauth Lane, and the other two streets involved in the moot are Wendserpent Street and Blackraven Lane (Arkhstaff’s house actually fronts on Blackraven, and it runs west through the moot to end in a moot with Chalsendace Street, a curving street lined with the mansions of the wealthy, that runs from the city wall to end in a moot with Stormcanter Street. Years ago, Fox Bottom was a wooded hollow where a vixen denned under rocks and bore brood after brood of hungry foxes. Now it’s the closest thing Baldur’s Gate has to a slum: a moot surrounded by crowded, run-down rooming-houses where rats scurry, washing hangs on high everywhere, and beggars and maimed old sailors are watched warily by well-armed patrols. Fox Bottom can be found a mere two blocks south of Manycoins House (20), where Long Lane crosses Hulkael Street. Hulkael begins in the Lathdell (the small open strake where the Shrine of the Suffering, Volo’s map feature 26, stands), and winds south through Murl’s Rest (the strake where Sorcerous Sundries, map feature 14, stands) to pass along the east side of The Blade and Stars inn (map feature 18), before hooking around west and northwest to the docks. Lionsmoot is just southeast of Stormkeep. From the fortress, one takes Stormshore Street (feature 11 on the Volo’s map, and yes, it runs clear across the city, not far north of the docks, through where the numeral “11” appears on that map, and beyond) to the end of Stormcanter Street. That threeway moot, where Stormcanter begins its run across the city, is named for The House of the Lion, a luxurious festhall that stands in its eastern angle. For some years, it’s been the habit of young ‘blades’ (men of youth, style, and coin) and ‘lacethroats’ (daring young women of style and coin enough to dress fashionably) of the city to gather on pleasant evenings to duel, gamble, flirt to choose bedpartners for the night, and parade their fashions and attitudes. When things grow too rowdy, the ‘waycudgels’ (bouncers) of the brothel go out and drive many of the couples indoors to the Lion to continue their revelry, scattering the rest to continue their fun elsewhere. Pronunciations: “WAYNe-del” and “Ath-call-EER’s” and “THULL-gray-ve” and “Lore-AM-more” and “NUTH-call’s” and “Chall-SEN-dace” and “Hull-KALE” Category:Metropolises Category:City-states Category:Settlements in the Western Heartlands Category:Settlements on the Sword Coast